Recovery Act Smart Grid Programs

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Black Hills Power

Advanced Metering Infrastructure/Meter Data Management System

Abstract

Black Hills Power (BHP) is one of three Black Hills Corporation subsidiaries that deployed advanced metering infrastructure (AMI), a meter data management system (MDMS), a customer web portal, and an outage management system (OMS). The other two are Black Hills Corporation/Colorado Electric and Cheyenne Light, Fuel and Power.
The BHP project built upon existing smart grid functionality to provide customers with previously unavailable options. The AMI system supports potential future implementation of time-based rate programs that can help customers reduce peak loads and lower their monthly bills. The integration of the AMI system with the new OMS provides improved outage management and restoration services. This combination of advanced technologies and new data analytics capabilities enable more efficient design and operation of the electric distribution system, resulting in improved power quality and better service for BHP customers.